I don't own MI High.

Rose slit open the envelope and slid the thick card out of it. She took a deep breath before turning it over and reading the handwriting that covered one side of the creamy, expensive card.

Rose, my darling. Congratulations on finding the second clue. I knew that you would be able to do it, just as I knew that it wouldn't be long before you returned to the house. Now, before I give instructions to the third clue, you must know that you cannot be accepted by KORPS if you have continued on any association with either Oscar Cole or Carrie Stewart after they took me from you all those years ago. If you have, then your hunt must end here. If you haven't, then keep reading.
You might remember - in fact, I am sure that you do - the library in which you spent so much of your time when you were small. I am sure you remember your favourite book at the time I am referring to. Well, my darling, your next clue is in that book, in that library. If you still want the acceptance and appreciation that KORPS alone is able to give you, then we will see each other very soon. If not, I would be surprised at how little I know my daughter.

Once she had finished reading the note aloud, she threw it on the table contempuously. "So. He wants me to join KORPS. Not surprising, really, knowing him, I just can't believe I didn't realise sooner."

"Hey, no blaming youself," Oscar said. "Well, surely all that we need to do is follow these clues. Hopefully they'll lead us to your Dad, and then we can lock him up again."

"That does seem to be the best course of action currently," Stella said. "But KORPS... utmost caution is needed. And if the MI High team are alright with it, I would appreciate if they would stay on this mission as well - seven is better than three, after all." Dan, Tom, Aneisha and Zoe all nodded eagerly. Working with MI9 legends and hopefully recapturing a devious KORPS member sounded like a no-brainer.

"If that's sorted, then - I think it's time for a school trip. Rose, what was the name of the library your father was referring to?"

"Marstone Public Library. It's about an hour's drive. And school could be going because...they're going to be having a talk from the head librarian, who specialises in Kantian Philosophy, to complement their RS work."

"Great. Tom, if you would work with Rose to get the necessary documents. Dan, Zoe, Aneisha, go back to class and make sure you act surprised when a school trip is announced. I'll call a coach," Stella was in full commanding mode. "Frank, why don't you introduce Oscar and Carrie to Mr McNab - who is going to have to take them, we don't want Flately getting in the way because he knows these three - he's going to be called away on urgent business for the Department of Education. Rose -"

"Got it. The Department of Education are taking a survey of several headmasters of schools who are known for...encouraging the students' freedom and would like him to take part."

"Perfect. Alright people, let's get moving!"

After Stella, Frank, Oscar, Carrie, Dan, Zoe and Aneisha had all crammed into the lift and left, Rose and Tom fired up the computers and began writing the fake documents that would show that this school trip had, in fact, been planned for several months now. Tom was still slightly in awe, not fully able to believe that he was working on the same mission, in the same room, as the girl who had joined MI9 full-time before she had even left school officially.

Rose found this quite funny. She knew that there were many people in the spying world who thought that she was a legend - however much even thinking that made blood rush to her cheeks - but had always been working far too hard to ever actually have contact with them. It was as though they didn't really exist, but were just a concept that Stella talked about on occasion and who looked at her in the dining hall.

"I'm really not that intimidating, you know," she said after sevral minutes, when the tension had built to an almost unbearable level. "I'm a person like everyone else, only a year older than you."

"And that's part of the problem!" Tom said, at the same time feeling a little easier talking to her. Rose was so clearly friendly. "One year older than me! How on Earth am I meant to not think you're amazing when you've been working for MI9 since you were 12?"

"I had good teammates," Rose said, glancing over at him. "Daisy and Blane. They...made sure I knew what I was doing." Tom wasn't very good at reading people - computers were far easier - but he did think that there was a little bit of discomfort when she said that. He didn't read anything into it though.

"Well, still. You were recruited for a reason."

"So were you." And to that, Tom couldn't argue, so they lapsed back into silence, albeit a much more comfortable one than before.

Five minutes passed with just the clack of keyboards to fill the air.

Then - "I bet I could beat you on Blade Quest," Rose said, mischeiviously glancing over at Tom.

"What?"

"Blade Quest. You do play Blade Quest, don't you?" So maybe Rose was cheating just a little bit in becoming friends with Tom - hacking into his computer to find out what games he liked playing wasn't really an option for most people trying to make a new friend - but she didn't feel guilty.

"Course I play Blade Quest? You do too?"

"Tom, I'm a legend at Blade Quest."

"Bet you're not as good as me."

"Bet I am."

"Not."

"We've probably got enough time to test that, you know, before someone comes back down."

"You're on."

So when Stella came back down to HQ, it was to find Rose and Tom laughing and shouting as they fought - virtually - on the edge of a cliff. Both of them spun around guiltily when they heard the lift doors.

"Um, hey, Stella," Rose said, smiling in an awkward way. "Um, we were just..."

"Playing instead of working on the mission?" Stella was going for stern and reprimanding, but it came out very wrong and just sounded amused.

"Well you see, we'd finished, and because the coach wasn't due for half an hour..."

"You've finished?"

"Yeah!" Rose waved a blue plastic folder with several sheets of paper in it. "Done and dusted, and Flately's emailed the 'Department' to say that he's on his way. he left five minutes ago. And..." Rose said in a way that had Stella wanting to run for cover becuase it meant that rose had an absolute tiebreaker in her hands adn was about to play it, "You and Frank are going to the theatre tonight, 7.30, to see Matilda."

"Rose, what?"

"Come on, I know you've wanted to see it for ages. And you're not working tonight anyway, and I didn't want you going on your own so I thought you could go with Frank." Stella was silent for a moment. Then she couldn't help but laugh.

"Rose, I swear, it is almost definitely against the rules to play your superior like that.

"Hey, you're not going to fire me," Rose said, turning the screen with Blade Quest off. "Let's call it a tie, Tom. But I want a rematch once the mission's over."

"I so beat you."

"Did not. The only person who can beat me is Carrie and she does that by tickling me when I don't expect it and then pushing me off the cliff when I'm trying not to suffocate."

Tom was, in all honesty, surprised that Rose was able to get out of trouble with Stella so easily. he knew that they worked closely together, but he hadn't expected it to be so closely that Rose could get away with playing video games during a mission and basically setting Stella and Frank up for a date (however much they were meant for each other adn it was about time they realised it already).

"I came down to say that the coach was early and we're leaving now. So get your stuff, gadgets, whatever." Stella left again, shaking her head amusedly.

"I so beat you," Rose whispered as the pair of them exited the lift.

"Did not."

"End of the mission, we're playing again. My place. We've got virtual reality suits."

"Awesome. You're on."

I have to say that my most favourite part of this chapter is Rose and Tom becoming friends, because anyone can see that they were just meant to be best friends.
So, I'm sorry it's taken so long to post this chapter.
I'm afraid I can't promise to be any more punctual with the nex tone, but I'll do my best.
Please review! It makes me happy :)